The “5-A-Day” recommendation has its origins in an initiative of the California Department of Health Services, which was funded in 1988. This program was then taken up as a nation-wide program in the USA in 1991 and eventually in the UK and other countries around the world. The recommendation to target a minimum of 5 servings of vegetables and fruit was based on a review of the scientific literature at the time. They decided that:

• 5 servings represented a considerable increase in consumption, nearly doubling the 1987 estimated level of about 2.5 servings per day per person;
• at least 5 servings provided health benefits by improving the quality of the overall diet for nutrients, such as folic acid, and possibly also by displacing less healthy foods;
• although studies didn’t specify how many servings were optimal, at least 5 servings allowed for a daily mix of items high in vitamin A and vitamin C, fibre, and plant-based foods, and therefore seemed likely to include choices associated with reduced cancer risk;
• 5 servings was not seen as impossible to attain by consumers, and the number was consistent with other dietary recommendations; and
• the number 5 was memorable and was a way of getting the message across.

So the simple answer is it was double the average in 1988 and it was “about right” and memorable.

5-A-Day is based on the hypothesis that a diet rich in vegetables and fruit reduces the risk of cancer and other chronic disease. Vegetables and fruit are important sources of several essential nutrients, including vitamin C, B vitamins, vitamin A, potassium, calcium, and iron. Vegetables and fruit also provide dietary fibre. Fruit juices will contain nutrients such as vitamins, but they contain less fibre than whole fruits and vegetables. Fruit juice with the bits in have more fibre, but drinking too much juice can also increase your sugar consumption.

• 5 servings represented a considerable increase in consumption, nearly doubling the 1987 estimated level of about 2.5 servings per day per person;
• at least 5 servings provided health benefits by improving the quality of the overall diet for nutrients, such as folic acid, and possibly also by displacing less healthy foods;
• although studies didn’t specify how many servings were optimal, at least 5 servings allowed for a daily mix of items high in vitamin A and vitamin C, fibre, and plant-based foods, and therefore seemed likely to include choices associated with reduced cancer risk;
• 5 servings was not seen as impossible to attain by consumers, and the number was consistent with other dietary recommendations; and
• the number 5 was memorable and was a way of getting the message across.

So the simple answer is it was double the average in 1988 and it was “about right” and memorable.

5-A-Day is based on the hypothesis that a diet rich in vegetables and fruit reduces the risk of cancer and other chronic disease. Vegetables and fruit are important sources of several essential nutrients, including vitamin C, B vitamins, vitamin A, potassium, calcium, and iron. Vegetables and fruit also provide dietary fibre. Fruit juices will contain nutrients such as vitamins, but they contain less fibre than whole fruits and vegetables. Fruit juice with the bits in have more fibre, but drinking too much juice can also increase your sugar consumption.

• 5 servings represented a considerable increase in consumption, nearly doubling the 1987 estimated level of about 2.5 servings per day per person;
• at least 5 servings provided health benefits by improving the quality of the overall diet for nutrients, such as folic acid, and possibly also by displacing less healthy foods;
• although studies didn’t specify how many servings were optimal, at least 5 servings allowed for a daily mix of items high in vitamin A and vitamin C, fibre, and plant-based foods, and therefore seemed likely to include choices associated with reduced cancer risk;
• 5 servings was not seen as impossible to attain by consumers, and the number was consistent with other dietary recommendations; and
• the number 5 was memorable and was a way of getting the message across.

So the simple answer is it was double the average in 1988 and it was “about right” and memorable.

Healthy eating is a pattern of eating that contributes to best possible health through positive relationships with food and diverse, balanced food choices that meet a person’s needs for nutrients and energy.

• 5 servings represented a considerable increase in consumption, nearly doubling the 1987 estimated level of about 2.5 servings per day per person;
• at least 5 servings provided health benefits by improving the quality of the overall diet for nutrients, such as folic acid, and possibly also by displacing less healthy foods;
• although studies didn’t specify how many servings were optimal, at least 5 servings allowed for a daily mix of items high in vitamin A and vitamin C, fibre, and plant-based foods, and therefore seemed likely to include choices associated with reduced cancer risk;
• 5 servings was not seen as impossible to attain by consumers, and the number was consistent with other dietary recommendations; and
• the number 5 was memorable and was a way of getting the message across.

So the simple answer is it was double the average in 1988 and it was “about right” and memorable.

Healthy eating promotes and supports social, physical, and mental wellbeing for all people at all ages and stages of life and contributes to the overall health of individuals, families, and communities. Healthy eating helps minimize the risk and occurrence and supports the management of disease.

• 5 servings represented a considerable increase in consumption, nearly doubling the 1987 estimated level of about 2.5 servings per day per person;
• at least 5 servings provided health benefits by improving the quality of the overall diet for nutrients, such as folic acid, and possibly also by displacing less healthy foods;
• although studies didn’t specify how many servings were optimal, at least 5 servings allowed for a daily mix of items high in vitamin A and vitamin C, fibre, and plant-based foods, and therefore seemed likely to include choices associated with reduced cancer risk;
• 5 servings was not seen as impossible to attain by consumers, and the number was consistent with other dietary recommendations; and
• the number 5 was memorable and was a way of getting the message across.

So the simple answer is it was double the average in 1988 and it was “about right” and memorable.